Jim Ragas | CEO | The Second Cup Coffee Company Inc.
Founded in 1975, Second Cup has been in business since 1975 and internationally been operating since 2008. Currently its spread across 23 countries sprawling 156 locations.
Brewing Back In Time:
Second Cup had a humble beginning in 1975 started by Frank O’Dea and Tom Culligan as a Canadian shopping mall kiosk selling whole-bean coffee.
In 2002, Second Cup became a member of the Cara Operations family of restaurants (Cara), and in 2006 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Dinecorp Hospitality Inc. (DHI), a company controlled by Gabe Tsampalieros, the former CEO of Cara. In December 2007, DHI changed its name to The Second Cup Coffee Company Inc.
In 2015 The Second Cup Coffee Company Inc. underwent a management buy out and the company was purchased by a partnership group led by Jim Ragas the company President.
“Our first Second Cup International Regional Franchise was established in 2003 in Dubai, and we continue to be a second home to tens of thousands of discerning guests everyday”.
-Jim Ragas (CEO)
Make Hay When The Sun Shines:
The start of the business back in 1975 was a vision of Frank and Tom’s that saw an opportunity to bring quality coffee to the Canadian market.
Spilling The Formula For Its Success:
What is it that makes The Second Cup a popular choice among other existent coffee brands? Its vision is to be the leading sustainable global premium café brand and its mission is to continue to grow through innovation and dedication to excellence.
Our point of difference is that we provide an exciting premium café experience in a sophisticated, comfortable environment. Always value driven. Always having Fun according to Jim.
At the very core of Second Cup’s success lies the passion for all that they do and all that they offer to their guests, and starts with the highest quality coffee beans you can buy. Most of the coffee beans used for our coffees or sold to their guests are exclusive to Second Cup. They search the world looking for the best of the best…from the lush mountains of Costa Rica and Colombia to the distant lands of Central Africa to the exotic and enchanting island of Sumatra. Their exclusive coffee supply agreements link us to the finest estate coffee growers in these, the best coffee-growing regions of the world.
Second Cup is proud that all its coffees are ethically sourced. A continuing commitment to product development has kept Second Cup relevant. In addition to our cafés, our product line has also grown from simple whole bean coffee to premium coffees, speciality
-Jim Ragas (CEO)
beverages, all-natural frozen yoghurt, complementary foods and unique sustainable merchandise.
The Ceo Spills The Beans:
Second Cup is built on relationships and quality, through our established network of Franchisee Partners, Operators and skilled baristas.
Its target audience is people of both genders between the ages of 19 to 64 years of age. Upper middle class, higher managerial and administrative jobs the second target is the professional middle class that are at intermediate managerial, administrative or professional positions.
How To Brew The Coffee:
When choosing a franchise partner for Second Cup, the choice depends on the country or region because the company only signs up and deals with experienced operators prepared to develop a large region or a country.
We look for successful entrepreneurs with hospitality and retail experience that are committed to excellence in everything they do and want to help improve their environment.
-Jim Ragas (CEO)
After the initial training, the support is ongoing and includes research and development, real estate evaluations, marketing programs, e-learning, mystery shoppers, Primo Rewards loyalty program that is designed to provide individual café or regional AI recommendations, regular visits from our team a dedicated Partner Portal with access to many data-driven tools.
The best thing we can say is we are happy to introduce anyone to one of our franchise partners. They will tell you we make them feel like family says, Jim.
